Garment or ironing press



Sept. 11, 1934. E. DAVIS I GARMENT OR IRONING PRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 15, 1930 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS Sept. 11, 1934. E. DAVIS GARMENT OR IRONING PRESS Filed July 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 NVEN TOR.

A TTOR E Y5 Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES 'GARMENT on IRONING PRESS Ernest Davis, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to The Prosperity Company 1110., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 15, 1930, Serial No. 468,058

8 Claims. (Cl. 121-38) This invention relates to pressing machines such as garment and ironing or laundry presses.

In order to protect the operators of power presses against injury, it has become conventional practice to equip such presses with two-hand control means. These control'means require the operator-to use both hands to operate the mechanism for closing the press and insure against the possibility of the press closing while the opo erator is arranging the work with one hand over the fixed pressing element. With two hand controls which have beenused in the past it was possible for an operator to tie, or otherwise socure, one of the controls in operated position so that the machine could be operated entirely from the other control. Such procedure rendered the machine a. one-hand control press, which is somewhat faster to operate, but completely nullified the safety provisions of the two hand control system. v

An object of this invention is to provide a pressingmachine with two hand control means and to so arrange these control means that it is impossible to operate the press by sticking one of the control devices in operated position. A further object of the invention is to provide a two hand control for pressing machines and to equip such control with means for positively restoring both of the control means to normal inoperative position after each closing of the pressing machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pressing machine with a two-hand control device and with means operated from the press operating mechanism for restoring the two-hand controls to normal inoperative or initial position after each closing operation of the press, the re storing means becoming operative when locks closed.

Other objects and advantages of-the invention will become apparent and will be pointed out as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views. 4 r

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pressing machine to which my invention is applied.

Figure 2 isa schematic showing, mostly in section, of the operating and control mechanism of the press shown in Figure 1.

My invention is designed primarily for use with the press mounted on a frame 15 of the pressing machine. The yoke 11 is pivotally mounted at 17 on aback leg 18 of the pressing machine frame. The yoke 11 is actuated by suitable mechanism such as a link 20 which is pivoted to the yoke at 2l and to a bell crank 22 at 23. The bell crank 22 is pivoted to the pressing machine frame at 25.

A spring 26 connected at one end to the pressing machine frame 15 and at the other end to the ,bell crank 22 normally holds the press in open position.

The press is closed by suitable power means such as a fluid motor 30 which is pivotally connected to the pressing machine frame-at 31. I A piston rod 32 of the fluid motor 30 is pivotally connected at 33,to one arm of the "bell crank 22. The link 20 and upwardly extending arm of the bell crank 22 form a toggle and operation of the fluid motor 30 straightens this toggle thus actuating the yoke 11 to bring the pressing head 10 into contact with the buck 13 to close the press. The pressing machine thus far described is of the conventional type and forms no part of the present invention.

The control mechanism, according to the preferred embodiment of my invention, is of the two hand control type and includes two operator-operated or manual means such as push buttons 40 and, 41 and control devices actuatedif thereby. The push button 40 operates a bell crank 42 which contacts with a valve stem 43 of an exhaust valve '44 whichxis'contained in a valve casing 45. When .the push button 40 is depressed, the bell crank 42 will be rocked and will push against the valve stem 43 to close the exhaust valve 44. The 'bell crank 42 and push button 40 are normally held by a spring 47 in position so that the exh ust valve 44 may be open. This valve compris s one of the control devices. l

The push button 41 operates valves in a valve casing 50. This valve casing includes a normally closed intake valve 51 and a normally open exhaust valve 52 which are connected together by a spacer rod 53 so that they operate as a unit. A, spring 54 holds the valves 51 and 52 in their normal position. The exhaust valve 52 is provided with a valve stem 56 which projects through the end of the valve casing 50. A bell crank 58 between the push button'41 and valve stem 56 transmits motion of the push button 41 to the valve stem 56 to operate the valves in the valve casing 50. A spring 59 holds the bell crank 58 and push button ,41 in their normal positions.

I The valves in the valve casings 45 and 50 are control devices or means and'may control the flow of working fluid to the motor 30 directly, but in the preferred embodiment of my invention, this control is indirect and is effected through a control unit designated generally as 60. The push h lfit lllfi ill and 41 control the operation of the i k control unit 60 which in turn controls the supply of working fluid to the fluid motor 30.

The control unit 60 includes a valve casing 61 which is connected at one side with a pipe 62 through which working fluid is supplied to the valve casing 61, and at the other side to a pipe 68 through which working fluidpasses from the valve casing 61 to the fluid motor 30. g A valve 65 is located in the valve casing 61 between the pipes 62 and 68. A spring 66 normally holds the valve 65 closed thus preventing the flow of working fluid from the pipe 62 through the valve casing" 61 to the pipe 63. The valve 65 is provided with a stem 69 which extends through the top of the valve casing 61. i

, .The upper part of the control unit 60 includes a diaphragm chamber 70 which contains a diaphragm '71. A plunger 72 is operated by a diaphragm 71 and has a stem extending through the bottom of the diaphragm chamber 70 into contact with the valve steni 69 of the valve 65. When pressure is applied behind the diaphragm 71 the I so plunger 72 willbe pushed downwardly, in Figure 2, to move the valve stem 69 so as to open the valve 65 in the valve casing 61.

The fluid motor includes a cylinder 75 having a port opening '76 in the side wall thereof at a [crank 58. that operation of the plunger-86, when the valve casing 50 to a pipe to close the exhaust pressure is applied behind the diaphragm 85 will force the bell crank 58 back into normal position even though the operator may havehis hand on the push button 41 at the time. Thus when pres-g sure is supplied through the pipe 81 behind the diaphragm 85 in the diaphragm casing 83, the plunger 86 will be operated to kick out the bell crank 58 and push'button 41. This kick out featurewill prevent the operator from keepingthe push button 41 depressed by i'orcing a pin or similar article betweenthe push-button 41 and the housing in which it slides. The diaphragm, spring, and plunger, in the diaphragm casing 8.4 are identical in structure and operate in the same way to kick out the bell crank 42 and push button 41 as has beenjust'described .in connection with the kicking out of the bell crank,58, push button 41 by the diaphragm 85, spring 87, and plunger 86, in the diaphragm casing 83. The port opening '76 with the diaphragms 85 in the diaphragm chambers '80 and 84 are the preferred construction. The primary purpose of theseparts is to provide restoring means which is operable. upon a predetermined extent of movement of the operating mecharxismirrespective or what part of the operating mechanism the restoring means and irrespective of the form which the restoring means may take.---

In operation, the operator will depress the push buttons 40 and 41 to operate the valves in the valve casings 45 and 50 respectively. Working fluid such as air is supplied from a fluid supply line 62 through a feed pipe 90, around the open intake valve 51 in the valve casing 50, and through 91. It the push button 41 were not operated controls the actuation of.

valve 44 air would escape from the pipe 91 through a pipe 92 and the open exhaust valve 44 in the valve casing 45. This makes it necessary for the operator to' use both hands so that the exhaust valve 44 will be closed. When'such is the case,

pressure will build up in the pipe 92, and pipe 93 which communicates with the diaphragm casing 70. When pressure is thus applied behind the diaphragm 71 in the diaphragm casing 70, the plunger '72 will be operated to open the valve 65 in the valve casing 61. Air may then flow through the fluid supply line 62, valve casing 61, and pipe 63 to the fluid motor 30. The piston 77 in the cylinder of thefluid motor 30 will be actuated and the press operating mechanism will bring the pressing elements together in the manner previ ously described.

When the piston 7'7 has moved sufllciently far in its stroke to uncover the port opening 76, air behind the piston will flow through ,this port opening 76, chamber 80, and pipe 81, to the diaphragm casing 83. The air under pressure thus supplied to the diaphragm casing 83 will cause the diaphragm to operate to move the plunger 86 and force the bell crank 58 and push button 41 back into normal position, if they have not previously been allowed to retur'n.to normal position under influence of the spring59. When air.is supplied to the pipe 81 it will also pass through the branch pipe 82 to the diaphragm casing 84 to operate the diaphragm and plunger therein to kick out the bell crank 42 and push button 40 in I exactly the same manner as just described in conthrough the open exhaust valves 44 and 52 in the valve casings 45 and 50 respectively. When pressure behind the diaphragm '71 in the diaphragm casing 70.is thus reduced the spring 66 in the valve casing 61 will close the valve 65 and no more working fluid will be supplied to the fluid motor 30.

When the operator wishes to open the press he a'handle 95 which opens a norinally will operate in a valve casing 97 which closed exhaust valve 96 is connected by a pipe 98 with the this exhaust valve 96 is. thus opened, air will escape from the fluid motor 30, through the pipe 68, pipe 98, and valve casing 97. As the piston returns to the upper end of the cylinder, pressure in'the diaphragm casings 33 and 84 will be reduced by the escape of air and branch pipe 82, through the chamber 80 and port opening "76 into the 99- are provided. to permit the escape or air from the cylinder behind thepiston.

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have-provided a two hand control mechanism for a pressing machine with means for kicking out the operator-operated control means and thus preventing the operator from sticking one of these operator-operated means in operated position and thus destroying the safety feature of the machine which is provided by a two-hand control.

..While I have pipe 68. When through the pipe 81 cylinder '75. Openings I in the lower end 01- the cylinder illustrated my invention ints preferred embodiment, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a garment or laundry pressing machine, in combination, press operating mechanismincluding a fluid motor; a pair of devices for controlling the supply of fluid to the motor, means connecting said devices with the fluid supply line and with each other so that both. devices must be moved into operative position at the same time to obtain effective flow of working fluid to the motor; operator-operated means for each control device; and means including a fluid pressure operated device associated with each operator-operated means for forcing the said operator-operated means into inoperative position after each closing operation of the pressing machine.

2. In a garment or laundry pressing machine, in combination, press operating mechanism including a fluid motor having a cylinder with a I port opening in the wall thereof and a piston in the cylinder; a pair of devices for controlling the supply of fluid to the motor, means connecting said devices with the fluid supply line and with each other so thatboth devices must be moved into operative position at the same time to obtain effective flow of working fluid to the motor; operator-operated means for each control device; and means associated with each operator-operated means including a fluid pressure operated device for forcing the operator-operated means into inoperative position; and means connecting the fluid pressure operated devices with the cylinder for supplying working fluid to said fluid pressure operated devices when the piston in the cylinder uncovers the port opening in the wall thereof.

3. In a garment or laundry pressing machine, in combination, cooperative pressing elements one of which is movable to open and close the press; operating mechanism to open and close the press including power means, control means connected with the power means and operable to cause power to be supplied thereto to close the press and hold the press in closed position, operator-operated means operatively connected with the control means to actuate the same and returnable to initial position independently of the control' means, means connected with the operator-operated means and movableto restore the operatoroperated means to initial position, and means actuated upon a predetermined extent of move- 4 ment of the operating mechanism to move the aforesaid means after each closing operation of the operating mechanism.

4. In a garment or laundry pressing machine, in combination, cooperative pressing elements one of which is movable to open and close the press; operating mechanism to open and close the press including power means, control means therefor operable to supply power to said power means to close the press, operator-operated means operatively connected with the control means to actuate the'same and returnable to initial position, independently of the control means, means connected with the operator-operated means and movable to restore the operator-operated means to initial position, and means actuated upon a predetermined extent of movement of the operating mechanism to move the aforesaid means after each closing operation of the operating mechamsm.

1 5. In a garment or laundry pressing machine, in combination, cooperative pressing elements one of which is movable to open and close the press; operating and control mechanism including, a fluid motor, control means therefor operable to supply working fluid to said motor,

manual means operatively connected with the position after the motor has moved a predeter mined amount, and means releasing the press from closed position.

6. A garmentor ironing press comprising, press operating mechanism including, power means to close the press; control means for applying power to the power means including, a pair of manuals connected with the control means to require both hands of the operator to actuate the latter, said control means requiring the actuation of both manuals to apply power to the power means; and restoring means including, engaging means adjacent to at least one of the manuals and operable to engage and return the latter to initial position, and means connected with the engaging means and operated upon a predetermined extent of movement of the operating mechanism exerting a restoring pressure on the engaging means which positively forces at least one of the manuals to its initial position.

7. A garment or ironing press comprising, press operating mechanism including, power means to close the press; a pair of control devices for controlling the application of power to the power means including, an operator-operated means connected with each control device to actuate the same, said control devices requiring the actuation of both operator-operated means to apply power to the power means; and restoring means including, engaging means adjacent to each operatoroperated means and operable to engage and return the latter to initial position, and means connected with each engaging means and operated upon a predetermined extent of movement of the operating mechanism for exerting a restoring" pressure on the engaging means which positively forces the operator-operated means to their initial positions upon each operation of the operating mechanism.

8. A garment or ironing press comprising, press operating mechanism including, power means to close the press; a pair of control devices corinected with a source of power supply for. controlling the application of power to the power -means including, a pair of operator-operated 

